Accommodation

Inside the resort that caters to overweight guests only

A woman who weighs 229kg says she finally felt “accepted” after taking a holiday at a resort which only accepts overweight guests.

Alice Young, 32, went on a holiday to Eleuthera in the Bahamas for a new UK tv show My 18-30 Stone Holiday, and stayed at a resort for people who weigh over 20 stone (127kg).

“I would love to go back, I think it’s the perfect place to go if you have got body issues or self-esteem issues. You are accepted there,” she told the Nottingham Post.

Alice Young said she finally felt “accepted” after staying at The Resort. Photo: ITV

Called “The Resort”, the hotel has reinforced metre-wide sun loungers which can hold more than 254kg, and beds that are strengthened with two-inch steel bars. It also has a five-mile private beach, widened doorways and other features to help support the large tourist. There’s also an all-you-can-eat buffet open three times a day.

The mum of twins went with a group of other plus-sized tourists for the show and called it an “amazing journey”.

Ms Young, from the East Midlands of England, said: “It was amazing for people that have got similar problems to sort of realise that people have different issues but we’re all going along the same journey. It’s not size that matters, it’s what going on inside your head.

“We all had issues that we didn’t necessarily want to talk about, but when we did talk about it, it became very therapeutic.

“All of the issues we had were to do with mental health rather than overeating.

“Being on the show has helped me to understand myself better, it’s certainly brought some things to light that have made me think a lot better.”

Ms Young, who filmed the show in April, said: “It was a place where all the pressures of every day were taken away, so you could think about your issues a lot more.

“I’m still in touch with everyone — we speak to each other daily, and we’ve got a really good group dynamic — it’s become like a support network really.”